Consideration
10. Economic Development Committee City Logo (4 sample variations) for promotional purposes.
11 Mid-year budget review report, approve and adopt adjustments.
12. Intent to revise city sewer charges, fiscal tax year 2012-2013, 3.4043%,11.1381%.
13. Within 60 days of the city council member vacancy, appoint a successor or hold a special election. "The special election shall be held on the next regularly established election date not less than 114 days from the call of the special election. The person appointed or elected to fill a vacancy holds office for the unexpired term of the former incumbent." See Discussion: A. "Summary of Application Law", page 58, Agenda above.
14. Resolution that city council members are expected to attend all meetings, and will adopt an attendance policy.
15. Appoint a representative to serve on the Housing Our People Effective (HOPE).Adjourn

Calculate 3.5%, compounded over the last 10 years, oh, wait, don't forget the years the boosted it20%. Those would be the first years we actually had to debt service from revenue our sewer debt. Roger thinks those years are mid 2000's. My sewer bill went up 250% as of 2008. I quit calculating after that. I don't want to puke and have to flush the toilet again.

3.4% is just the beginning.Because the city neglected basic infrastructure for so long, you can count on yearly raises of this or greater magnitude PLUS, three bond issuances predicted by an unknown consultant over the next twenty years.

Protest letters, legal under Prop. 218, will be your only recourse, and they will be available on line when I or some other person gets to composing and posting them.

I wouldn't give this group of leaders one more dime of taxpayer money for the job they've done in grossly mismanaging city finances.

Why would staff recommend that the city purchase a NEW POLICE vehicle when we don't even know if we are keeping the police dept.? It says on the agenda that this is a budgeted item, but regardless, WHY WOULD WE BUY THIS NOW? I think that if any of us in our personal lives were going to buy a new car, and we were not even sure we would be using or needing the car in a few months and it cost almost $29,000 we would wait, yes?

I saw an email from Steve Rhodes about this, and he was saying the current vehicle is approaching the end of its service life and is having transmission problems.

He also says that if the Sheriff's Department takes over, they will purchase all the vehicles. In an article about Millbrae's switch-over, it mentioned that the Sheriff's Department bought Millbrae's vehicles.

A lot of the OT in fire and police is encouraged by union work rules. Has to be addressed at the bargaining table. I have zero confidence that the City of Pacifica has any influence on the problem. Particularly, because other concessions (small stuff)have been made. Fire and police will be the last ones left on the public employee gravy train.

k-9 dog vehicle buy is wrong.Dogs will ride in any car you put them in and be happy to do so.Put the dog in the back seat of any car the Pacifica PD has that runs..Or the front seat where my dog prefers. Another waste of our money.

Sure hope Council appoints a temp until the Nov election. That way the city's business can go forward now and the voters get to decide who fills the seat til Nov 2014. Cheapest and most efficient solution. The proposed council attendance policy is a hoot. Censure for 3 consecutive unexcused absences or for missing 1/3 of all meetings in a year. Censure! What's next? Stand in the corner? Guess they really can't do much to another elected officer. Thank God for the State laws.

If senior staff, department heads fire and police do the right thing by taking voluntary wage reductions of one percent for every $10,000 earned it will free up over $1.4 million, at least twice the amount of a sales tax that will affect the poorest in our community the most to enrich and maintain the life styles of our already amply paid staff, fire and police.

Of course not, but when in trouble the only word they can remember is "Tax". Council is not just clueless, they are negligent. Why are they stalling on the outsourcing idea? First they stumble around before directing staff to get the numbers and then when they got them in mid-February a couple of our feckless leaders decide to hide them. Outsourcing might not be everyone's choice but why hasn't council acted with due diligence to investigate the idea? They are sitting on the numbers from the county, and very intentionally misleading the public. Why? Numbers not big enough? What's included? What can be cut? Conveniently, FCSTF is on hiatus til May or June. This is sleazy even for Pacifica, but why should we expect different?

""I feel betrayed by City Council," said task force member Suzan Getchell Wallace.The committee members moved on to recommend other options. Both of the current favorites cut into different areas than had been proposed in the past.Besides the salary freezes and the elimination of the supervisory positions in public works that are in every option, the two new options also increase teen program fees, recreational swim fees and swim team fees.Both options also reduce staff for swim team, eliminate funding for the Resource Center, eliminate funding for the visitors' center, eliminate funding for Pacifica Community Television, reduce funding for library hours and reduce staffing levels for the police department.The preferred option of the task force restores funding to those groups after six months if a sales tax passes in November. City Council would have to vote that tax in by August for it to appear on the Nov. ballot. That option is expected to save $811,677 in the first year and $1,338,572 in subsequent years. The other less-preferred alternative will save $788,018 a year.The task force asked the City Council to explore contracting out police services to the San Mateo County Sheriff at the same time it considers all the other cuts. That requires a closed session discussion by City Council members to begin the negotiation process."

anon@1045 I don't know anyone who is willing to pay more taxes to support big salaries and pensions for the Pacifica City Employee Class. 25plus years in this town and no one I know will vote for that. There's still plenty of fat in the police dept and the county is fully capable and cheaper. Outsource the PPD and we can then keep our social services and programs and rebuild our reserves. This town has always suffered from delusions of grandeur financed by stuff like the sewer fund, shell games and gov't handouts of one sort or another. And we all went along with it. Those are gone, it's a new economy, and we need to live within our means. Painfully modest means.

How's your plan work, Todd? The unions aren't going to do it. They'll muzzle any members who were bold enough to suggest it. Unions bleed the hog, they don't feed it. But city employees can sure write the city a check any old time. Sure.

Was it a typo or an error in pretty simple math? Given that this is Pacifica, joke of SMC if not this entire state, I'll go with bad math skills. Our cracker-jack council and their flunkies are at it again.

"News flash for some: The sewer fee increase is not 3.4% as originally stated, its 11.14%. Updated by the city this morning."

That's typical of the way this city operates: Shove the knife in at the very last minute so the victim has no time to react before the public hearing.

I skimmed the staff report quickly, so correct me if I'm wrong - There is no mention of increased staffing being paid for by this huge increase. The city had already indicated that "tree trimmers," among others, were going to be transferred into the sewage treatment plant staff through "internal recruitment."

What tree trimmers know about running the sewage treatment plant is an open question, but this looks like an end run around the general fund/salary problem the city has created for itself.

The unions are not going to do it until it is crammed down their throats. And that takes a judge as in Bankruptcy.All these high-flyin' city salaries and benefits bring to mind Reagan v the Air Traffic Controllers. The Great Communicator definitely got through to them!

Why Lionel Emde! I'm surprised at you. Keeping these guys employed is every Pacifican's noble duty.We can't have our public serpents facing the issues the rest of the country's workforce has dealt with over the last 5 years. Oh the horror.

Steve Sinai said...Much as I'd like to see it happen, I don't believe cities are allowed to impose salary and benefit cuts to union workers who have negotiated a contract with the city.----------------------No Steve, you're right. But they can impose wage and benefit cuts if parties reach an impass during negotiations.

I think Anon 451 is correct. If negotiations reach an impasse then the city may impose wage cuts.

Here's what Fresno just did:The county supervisors declared an impasse in contract talks late last year and imposed a 9% wage cut on union members.http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=8511851

I believe we have several contracts expiring this year. Just ask for a 10% reduction in wages and 10% in pension and other benefits. The unions will refuse. We impose it.

Fresno County's actions are headed for court and perhaps the NLRB so it isn't exactly over. The County is just trying to recoup some part of the 30% in wage increases handed out during the past 6 years. Gosh, that sounds familiar doesn't it? What'll it be folks a 9% cut or a 100% cut? Pretty simple when you look at it that way. Closer to home, what about San Mateo County? Are they biting the bullet? When they do, then Pacifica would be on very solid ground to follow their lead.

Meanwhile in news that can plunge hundreds of CA cities including this one into bankruptcy and bring down this state, CalPers is again talking about lowering their assumed rate of return. Significantly lower, but still very overstated. Such an action would cost local, county and state gov't hundreds of millions in new contributions to keep those fabulous public employee pensions flowing. Be proud Pacifica for all you provide...temporary tho it may be.

http://pinole.patch.com/articles/city-council-imposes-pay-cuts-for-police-officersAfter months of negotiations, the Pinole City Council imposed pay cuts of 10 to 13 percent on police department sergeants, officers and dispatchers Tuesday.

http://www.baycitizen.org/budget-crisis/story/san-jose-city-council-votes-impose-wage/The San Jose City Council voted 8-3 Tuesday to impose 10 percent cuts in wages and benefits on four employee unions that had reached an impasse with the city at the negotiations table.Source: The Bay Citizen (http://s.tt/12zlk)

That council or the finance committee isn't asking about this impasse rule or that senior staff isn't bringing it to either council or finance committee attention speaks volumes to the lack of interest for a real solution by these three parties to our payroll issues.

I had no idea an impasse could be declared. Good god. All this time wasted on these drama queen antics to raise taxes.

Maybe the Mayers-Milias-Brown act applies. It looks like cities can impose their "last, best and final offer" if negotiations break down, although there's a lot of bureaucracy to deal with between the start and end of negotiations. It would be interesting to know which union contracts are expiring, and when.

After any applicable mediation and factfinding procedures have been exhausted, but no earlier than 10 days after the factfinders’ written findings of fact and recommended terms of settlement have been submitted to the parties pursuant to Section 3505.5, a public agency that is not required to proceed to interest arbitration may, after holding a public hearing regarding the impasse, implement its last, best, and final offer, but shall not implement a memorandum of understanding. The unilateral implementation of a public agency’s last, best, and final offer shall not deprive a recognized employee organization of the right each year to meet and confer on matters within the scope of representation, whether or not those matters are included in the unilateral implementation, prior to the adoption by the public agency of its annual budget, or as otherwise required by law.

Structural changes are going to be needed if the public employee system is to continue. Not just to the obvious stuff like wages but to benefits and especially the retirement package. Put an end to hard to control cafeteria plans, slash city contribution to retirement. Wonder how Jerry's pension reform plan is doing. Lots of support for it on both sides of the legislature. Even if it fails to pass there are elements in it that should be picked up by cities and counties.

Anon@1:07 Each council agenda that mentions contract negotiations (closed session item) lists Ann Ritzma as city negotiator. She'd typically be heavily assisted by a labor attorney. Ritzma would seem to be very knowledgeable about contracts and benefits and such. She's reputedly the person who expanded cafeteria cash to include more employees and even city councilmembers. Think of it as a big, really big, raise no one had to approve. Council was supposed to give theirs up last year. The city is slowly chipping away at everyone else's through contract negotiations.IDK, I'm sort of glad it's Ritzma. Takes one to know one and all that.

No one talks to the "Ritzma"! Not without turning to stone. An interesting point: if police services are contracted to the county, and we already have Daly City running our fire department, just exactly how much HR or finance work is there going to be for The Ritzma? Me thinks we can "outsource" her job or hire a mid-level CPA for less than half of her swollen salary. Hmmmmmm

About Ritzma. She and a labor attorney or two handle the negotiating. Others might sit in but she's there as lead negotiator on behalf of the city. Who directs her? Steve Rhodes is her boss but Council directs him. She reports to Rhodes. Council is always supposed to go thru the city manager to interact with all city employees. Make no mistake, while Council may give the city manager considerable latitude, the Council directs him in all things. For example, controlling the flow of information. And, as in any group, some Councilmembers are much more involved than others.

Her salary is not out of line for administrative services director with full responsibility for the city's financial systems and HR functions. The problem is her HR side is much stronger than the finance side. She doesn't have the financial skills or education for these times and it shows. Keep in mind that council, or at least some of them, chose her with heavy input from an interim city managerjust before the bottom fell out of the global economy. Only in whacky Pacifica would we brag about combining the critical CFO job with an HR director to save money as we descended blindly into bankruptcy. Yessiree, we got rid of that expensive neurosurgeon on the eve of surgery and put in a bridge toll taker. Hey, what's your prob? They can both count.

News Flash!!Just in the nick of time for Pacifica, this week in CA has been proclaimed..........

Sunshine Week-Your Right to Know

This proclamation comes from Newspaper groups and others promoting transparency in government, an end to cronyism, etc.Gee, do you think our own Council knows? Might they mention it tonight? It could be the first step for them, you know? Talk about it, think about it, practice it??

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